22 July, 2017
Afterwards, I managed to go solo and I was so happy when I crossed the line.
"It would have been wonderful to win a stage on the most iconic climb of the race, but my goal is to focus on the yellow jersey", Froome said on Thursday.
"I had studied the course and I knew I had to go right in that last roundabout". "He's one of those riders, give him 10 meters and he's gone".
With the team's sprint king Mark Cavendish crashing out early in the Tour, it looked as though Dimension Data would not have the stage win that does so much for the Qhubeka charity which it promotes and supports. He said he did his homework, studying the stage finish and identifying the shorter route around the roundabout.
"I don't know if everyone did the reconnaissance before, but when everyone went left I knew I had to go right", added Boasson Hagen.
Froome's group, which included the main race contenders, was still riding as Boasson Hagen celebrated his win.
That put Bardet in sole possession of second place with Colombian Rigoberto Uran dropping back to third, 29 seconds down.
Today's 22.5km time-trial around Marseille offers Bardet and Uran one last chance to try to dethrone three-time victor Froome, who is widely considered the best time-trialist of the three. Instead, they and Froome settled for a quiet ride while the 20 in front hunted the stage victory.
"It had been full gas for two days in the Alps so grateful it was a less insane stage today and we could sit on the wheels a bit and recover some energy ahead of tomorrow's time trial". Boasson Hagen was among nine riders who ditched the others with a furious burst, leaving him in the right group to contest the stage victory.
While seven of them veered left, the long way round, Boasson Hagen and Sunweb's German rider Nikias Arndt swerved to the right - instantly catapulting themselves clear of their pursuers.
On Stage 7, Boasson Hagen lost to Marcel Kittel by mere millimeters in a photo finish at Nuits-Saint-Georges.
The 26-year-old Matthews, victor of stage 14 in Rodez and the 16th stage in Romans-sur-Isere, had built up a huge 160-point lead over Germany's Andre Greipel by Friday's stage.
"I wouldn't say it's quite won yet, but certainly the toughest part of the Tour is behind us with the Alps and Pyrenees done now", said the 32-year-old Briton. "Inside the last two kilometres or so, I made a final attack and nobody could follow".
